Taxonomy

Nilgiritragus
hylocrius

Formerly Hemitragus hylocrius [Ogilby, 1838].

Taxonomic
Note:Ropiquet and Hassanin (2005)removed
the species from the genus Hemitragus, and placed it in the monotypic
genus Nilgiritragus, based on analyses of four molecular markers. No
subspecies are recognized

Citation: Proceedings of the general meetings for scientific business of the Zoological Society of London.1837 V: 81

Type
locality: India, Nilgiri Hills.

An
extract from the proceedings of the general meetings for scientific
business of the Zoological Society of London.1837 V: 81

" Mr Ogily exhibited two specimens of his
new genus kemas, and directed the
attention of the society to their generic and specific characters. Mr Ogily
observed that the genus in question occupied an intermediate station between the goats and oryges, agreeing with the former in its mountain habitat and general
confirmation, and with the latter in the presence of a small naked muzzle and
four teats in the females. Of the two species exhibited, one was a fine male
specimen of Iharal and the other a new
specimen from Neilgherry hills, known to
Madras
and Bomaby sportsmen by the name of the Jungle Sheep, and which Mr Ogily had
long looked for. In form and habit of the body, as well as the character of the
horns this animal is intermediate to Iharal and Goral;the specific name of Kemas hylocrius was proposed for it in allusion to its local appellation.
The body is covered with uniform short hair obscurely annulated like that of
most species of deer and more resembling the coat of Ghoral than that of Iharal or chamois, the other species of which
the genus is at present composed. The horns are uniformly bent back, surrounded
by numerous small rings, and rather flattened on the sides, with a small
longitudinal ridge on the inner anterior edge: the ears are of moderate length,
and the tail very short. Mr Ogilby entered at some length in to the characters
and relations of the genus Kemas; he
observed that naturalists and commentators had greatly puzzled themselves to
discover the derivation of the word Kemas,
and the animal to which the ancient Greeks applied the name. Among other Col: H.
Smith applies it to chira, with which
ancients certainly were not acquainted: but Mr Ogily observed, that the root,
both of the Greek kemas and the modern Chamois, was manifestly traceable to
the German word Gems, which is still
the name of the Chamois eastward of Rhine, and which the Dutch colonists have
transferred to the Cape Oryx (Oryx
capensis)"

It
was after Ropiquet
and Hassanin(2005) carried outphylogenetic analyses and
proposed a
new taxonomy that the genus name was changed to Nilgiritragus from
hemitragus. The analyses were carried out on a matrix including most
extant
species currently described in the tribe Caprini sensu lato, and 3165
nucleotide
characters, coming from four different markers, i.e., an intron of the
nuclear
gene coding for the protein kinase C iota, and three mitochondrial genes
(subunit II of the cytochrome c oxidase, cytochrome b, and 12S
rRNA). The results show that the genus Hemitragus is polyphyletic, as H. jemlahicus is associated with Capra (goats), H.
hylocrius is the sister-group of Ovis (sheep), and H. jayakari is allied with Ammotragus lervia (aoudad). In the light of these
unexpected results, Ropiquet and Hassanin revaluated the validity of the morphological
characters originally used for defining the genus Hemitragus. They
have proposed a new taxonomy, where the three species of tahr are ranged
into three monospecific genera: the genus Hemitragus is restricted to the
Himalayan tahr, and two new genera are created: Arabitragus for the
Arabian tahr and Nilgiritragus for the Nilgiri tahr.